All many people want for Christmas this year is a simple hug, Queen Elizabeth II has said in her annual festive message, adding these holidays would be hard for those who lost loved ones to COVID-19 or were separated by social restrictions.
Key points:
- The Queen is spending Christmas at Windsor Castle with her husband Prince Philip
- The usual royal gathering at Sandringham estate and walk to a nearby church for a Christmas Day service was cancelled
- The UK has an official coronavirus-related death toll of just over 70,000
In her traditional pre-recorded Christmas Day address to the nation, the 94-year-old monarch repeatedly spoke of hope for the future while acknowledging millions of Britons would be unable to have their usual family celebrations this year.
"Of course, for many, this time of year will be tinged with sadness: some mourning the loss of those dear to them, and others missing friends and family members distanced for safety, when all they'd really want for Christmas is a simple hug or a squeeze of the hand," she said.
The Queen herself has had to eschew her traditional Christmas celebrations, and is spending the festive season quietly at Windsor Castle with her husband Prince Philip, 99.
Other members of the royal family are spending the festive period at their respective residences this year.
Usually, all the Windsors gather at the Queen's home on the Sandringham estate in eastern England, while the walk to a nearby church for a Christmas Day service is a staple of the royal calendar.
However, Britain is currently battling to curb the spread of a new variant of the novel coronavirus, with the number of new infections reaching record levels this week and the number of hospital admissions and deaths soaring.
The UK has an official coronavirus-related death toll of just over 70,000, Europe's second-highest behind Italy.
Much of the country has been placed under tight restrictions, and for London and the surrounding areas, households are not allowed to mix at all over Christmas, while for other areas there are strict curbs limiting contact to just a single day.
The message, written personally by the Queen, was recorded before the British Government decided last weekend to ditch its plans for a five-day easing of coronavirus restrictions around Christmas time.
'The kindness of strangers'
The Queen, who has spent much of the year isolating at Windsor Castle, praised the "indomitable spirit" of those who have risen "magnificently" to the challenges of the pandemic.
She sat behind a desk where the only family photo on show was a private portrait of Philip.
Other members of the Royal family sent their Christmas greetings to the nation via Twitter.
"Wishing a merry Christmas doesn't feel right this year, so instead we're wishing for a better 2021," tweeted Prince William and Kate Middleton, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, along with a list of help lines for "those struggling today".
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Prince Charles and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, sent their followers wishes for "a better new year".
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The Prince of Wales tested positive for coronavirus earlier this year but recovered after a period of self-isolation.
On Christmas Eve, the official Royal Family Twitter account posted a Christmas card from 1929 of a three-year-old Queen Elizabeth II with her parents.
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ABC/wires
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMibGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvbmV3cy8yMDIwLTEyLTI2L2JyaXRhaW5zLXF1ZWVuLWNhbGxzLWZvci1zcGlyaXQtb2Ytc2VsZmxlc3NuZXNzLWluLWNocmlzdG1hcy8xMzAxNTE2ONIBJ2h0dHBzOi8vYW1wLmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvYXJ0aWNsZS8xMzAxNTE2OA?oc=5
2020-12-25 22:47:00Z
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